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PGA Tour's Shot Tracker is Great but Has Minor Problems
Thursday June 11, 2009 | 14:24:41 279 words, 20385 views
If you are any kind of a golf fan, and you have high speed internet access, you’ve likely tried Shot Tracker, the newest feature on the official website of the PGA Tour. At first glance it appears to be the next best thing to watching a live broadcast. Upon closer inspection, I’ve noticed a couple of annoying glitches that could be cleaned up. Before I make my minor complaints, let me say that it really looks magnificent, detailing shot by shot each player’s round as it occurs and all at the same time. For those of us accustomed to looking at their Live Leaderboard, this a leap beyond. There are many custom features that allow tracking your favrite plar’s performance on a more intimate scale. My smallest complaint is that the Live Leaderboard is updated faster than Shot Tracker. It’s very hard to believe they are not linked together and simultaneously changed. The larger issue is that sometimes shots are posted incorrectly or out of order. I’ve seen instances where the first shot detailed will be a birdie putt holed, only to see it changed to a par a minute or two later. There have been other times ground strokes or trouble shots are overlooked, only to have the missing shot posted 5 to 10 minutes later. It happens just enough to become irritating if you are watching closely. Regardless, I recommend you give it a try. There’s really nothing better for the golf fan at work at a desk job. Perhaps because it’s still relatively new, the occasional bug has yet to be discovered and repaired. And, truthfully, it would be unlike the PGA Tour to have a substandard anything. Comments:
Comment from: Ron Mon [Member]
If you pay close enough attention to shot tracker, especially in the second-tier events, you get some hysterical shot descriptions, such as "second shot from the unknown." I'm holding out for "from beyond the grave."
Comment from: Shanks [Member]
My favorite synonym for "unknown" comes from a buddy of mine: Bangladesh.
Comment from: Shanks [Member]
Shot Tracker strikes again. At 9:28am it is telling me that Retief Goosen made an eagle on the third hole, while Live Leaderboard is showing a birdie. If Shot Tracker is not reliable, what good is it? I don't know how they get their information but the procedure has holes in it.
Comment from: Andy Brown [Visitor]
Yup, just like you the first thing that I would say for sure is that it is a brilliant technology, no doubt about that. There have been so many times that I have been stuck in office and used this as the next best resort because it is definitely much better than the live leaderboard. It’s even a tad better than their play by play feature that they have embedded in their live scoring page.
But having said that, you have expressed great deal of optimism in the errors being cleaned up sometime real soon. I have been following shot tracker for a while now and it has happened on several occasions that they have shots shown out of order and sometimes a very bizarre things happen. Instead of showing the drive from the tee to the fairway and then the iron in to the green, the shot tracker, quite often, shows the shot straight from the tee to the green as the first shot and then rectifies it a little later. While shot tracker is an amazing experience for a fan, it sure would be helpful if they ironed out these flaws.
Comment from: Shanks [Member]
I went on that website and sent a message tot the Tour about this problem. I urge anyone else who uses Shot Tracker to do the same. There is a feedback button in the upper right hand corner of their main page.
It is a fantastic addition as the time difference means that this is sometimes the only way I can "watch" some of my favourite players. I don't wish to appear ungrateful, but none of the glitches you have mentioned have been fixed as yet - I'll definitely use the feedback button which I hadn't noticed - thanks Shanks.
PS - Did Henrik think he was just there to have FUN?! Doesn't he realise who he is playing for? Oh well, over to the LPGA.
Comment from: Shanks [Member]
I wouldn't expect too quick of a response.
As far as Henrik goes, let's just blame that performance on jet lag. SIX double bogeys in 2 days. Looks like my scorecard.
Comment from: Shanks [Member]
In five days time, I received this rather lengthy response via email:
Thank you for using PGATOUR.COM. We are sorry to hear that you are currently experiencing problems with Shot Tracker. We have a few recommendations that should help you run Shot Tracker more effectively. Here are some options we suggest to help resolve your issue. They are listed in order of the most common solutions for PGATOUR.COM users. 1) Please ensure that you are using an updated web browser (Internet Explorer 8/ Firefox 3.0) and that you have Adobe Flash Player 9 (note: our Shot Tracker animation is done in Flash format, so in addition to having the latest browser, you also need an updated Flash player installed – currently version 9). 2) Check your browser’s internet security setting – If it is set to “High” then it might be preventing you from accessing the data that gets transmitted and displayed in Shot Tracker. 3) Next we recommend that you have enabled JavaScript on your internet settings. Here are the directions for enabling JavaScript: In any Internet Brower click “Tools > Internet Options" across the top (which pops-open a little box), and then the "Advanced" tab -- should be a list of items with a checkbox listed next to each item -- ensure that "enable javascript" has a check in the box 4) Clear your temporary internet files (or cache) as this could slow down your computer and prevent you from accessing the data that gets displayed in Shot Tracker. There is a lot of data being captured and displayed by Shot Tracker, so clearing your temporary internet files will ensure optimal performance. I have included directions for clearing your cache below. If you are still having difficulties after performing these steps, please email PGATOUR.com a detailed description of the problems you are still having and we will help you out as soon as possible. Here's how to do it in Internet Explorer: Step 1: Open up Internet Explorer Step 2: Across the top of the screen, you'll see options like "File Edit View Favorites Tools Help". click on "Tools" you'll see a submenu open scroll down to "Internet Options" and click on that link Step 3: A new mini-window will open which will display numerous options. Scroll down to the middle section where it says "Temporary Internet Files" Click on the button that says "Delete Files" another mini-window will open there will be a checkbox with an option to "Delete all offline content" -- put your cursor in there and click that option click the "OK" button You will see an hour glass appear while these files are being deleted. This will remain until the process is completed. If you have not done this in quite some time, the process may take a few minutes. Just let it do its work until the hour glass goes away. Once the hour glass goes away and you see your cursor again: Click "OK" at the bottom of this window. This window will now close and you have successfully deleted the files from your browser's memory. Step 4: Close your browser, re-open it and go to PGATOUR.COM to launch Shot Tracker. Here's how to do it in Firefox: Step 1: Open up Firefox Step 2: Across the top of the screen, you'll see options like "File Edit View History Bookmarks Tools Help". click on "Tools" you'll see a submenu open scroll down to "Options" and click on that link Step 3: A new mini-window will open which will display numerous options. click on the "Advanced" icon at the far right in the tabs that display below, click on "Network" you'll see a section for "Cache" click on the "Clear Now" button You will see an hour glass appear while these files are being deleted. This will remain until the process is completed. If you have not done this in quite some time, the process may take a few minutes. Just let it do its work until the hour glass goes away. Once the hour glass goes away and you see your cursor again, Click "OK" at the bottom of this window. This window will now close and you have successfully deleted the files from your browser's memory. Step 4: Close your browser, re-open it and go to PGATOUR.COM to launch Shot Tracker.
I need a drink - a strong one!
But thanks for the update. Might be worth some effort on my part as it IS the US Open. Leave a comment: |
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